Warlords of the witcher world

Chapter 138 annexation
In the Second Northern War, the Kaedweni army took advantage of the time when Aedirn was busy dealing with the invading Nilfgaard, intending to invade Aedirn, which was once its ally, and wanted to take the opportunity to regain Pontar, which had been in dispute with Aedirn for many years. valley area.

Although he was finally deterred by the Lord Protector of Aedirn, such behavior seriously damaged Kaedwen's reputation among the northern countries.

Coupled with its consistently bad reputation, people think it is a country of bandits and thieves, and it is also full of discrimination against the Kaedwenians.

In reality, however, Kaedwinians are generally open-minded and hospitable, with a reputation for a crass sense of humor and famous slang.

For example, "it is useless for a prostitute to find other prostitutes", this sentence undoubtedly has a certain amount of folk wisdom.

During the signing of the Toussaint Contract, Henselt had a fierce dispute over the ownership of Upper Aden.

King Kaedwen repeatedly emphasized that Kaedwen soldiers entered the territory to "maintain law and order", but in Herme's eyes, their actions were nothing more than burning, killing, looting and stealing territory.

Yet there is another Kaedwenian proverb, exemplified by the nation's own fate - "At last the fox will be skinned", and after years of infesting neighboring nations, it is finally Kaedweni's turn to suffer.

After King Henselt of Kaedwen and his army fell on the banks of the Pontal River, the Lord Protector of Aedirn did not celebrate, but seized the time to act, and the Aedirn army immediately entered Kaedwen.

There was a lot of opinion in the army about this at one time. In the eyes of those recruits, if the Kaedwenians were driven away, even if the war was over, they didn't want to continue fighting at all.

They also took a lot of spoils from the Kaedwen barracks, enough to go home.

In order to convince everyone to continue the war, Herme spent a lot of time, giving everyone various benefits promised to conquer Kaedwen, before convincing the conscripts to continue the war.

After unifying the thinking in the army, the next step is to move forward.

They took Ban Green on the north bank of the Pontar, and the cavalry of Aedirn tricked the gates of the fort and took it before news of Henselt's defeat and death arrived.

Ben Grimm had always been the Kaedwin's first base of attack and plunder against Aedirn, and it was here that the Brown Banners were stationed.

But for the same reason, this is also the first stop for Aedirn to go north to Kaedwen.

In today's Ben Grimm, the ubiquitous unicorn banners have been replaced by the tricolor chevrons of Aedirn, and Aedirn's soldiers can be seen everywhere in the streets.

Most of the local residents are family members of Kedsen soldiers, so they all shut the door tightly, and never come out unless necessary, for fear of being noticed by the Adian people.

However, the Adian people didn't care about them, and the Lord Protector didn't intend to make a big claim in the city.

He got Henselt's army rations and the food in Ban Ade's granary, so he just ordered them to pay a collection tax as some monetary supplements.

As for the countryside, the Cossack cavalry were already running around, busy collecting food from the Kaedwenians.

The Cossacks came at the right time. They arrived on the third day after the battle on the banks of the Pontar River, and there were a total of 1 people.

And the leader of this team is none other than Herme's old friend Bogo.

Due to his military exploits in the Battle of Shechi, he has basically become the leader of the Shechi Cossacks, and it is only natural for him to lead the Cossacks on an expedition.

The Cossacks were full of fighting spirit. Many of these Cossacks came to the Northern Territory for the first time and were dazzled by the wealth of this land.

Then the Lord Protector put these people into the collection, and then marched in the territory of Kaedwen, then naturally he would eat the Kaedwens.

However, the Lord Protector did not set the collection rate too high. Anyway, there is already a lot of food in hand, and there is still Kaedwen's national granary to collect.

So the resistance shown by the Kaedwenians is not great. The people have long been used to encountering soldiers being robbed of food, and many times those soldiers even robbed their own citizens.

However, among those Cossacks who came to the Northern Territory for the first time, there are many bad rules and looting. As long as they don't toss out bad things like slaughtering villages, Herme will turn a blind eye.

As the northernmost northern nation, Kaedwin places great importance on stockpiling food so that it does not starve to death on a large scale in the event of a famine.

Under Henselt's governance, there was more grain in Kaedwen's granaries. The monarch collected a large amount of grain and planned to use it as a resource for future expansion.

But now, all these will fall into Herme's hands.

In Ben Grimm, the Lord Protector of Aedirn planned his strategy for the invasion of Kaedwen.

Selchik led an army mainly armed with nobles, went up the Buina River and captured the cities along the route.

And most importantly, gain control of the forts along the Keszhuo Mountains, and control the border with Redania and the Hengfors Alliance.

The capture of the Kestrel Mountains was primarily intended to prevent possible intervention from Redania.

Although Redania is now in charge of the witch immersed in political games, rather than the hard-hearted little bald head, one must also be on guard.

After all, it is the strongest country in the north. If Redania ends up, the situation will immediately become complicated.

However, according to the news on the border, Philippa did not react to Kaedwen's matter at all, the Redanian court was still very slow, and the Redanian army did not mobilize.

Heme personally led the standing army and the Cossacks up the Lake Hilla River to Ad Kale, the capital of Kaedwen on the high rock.

The two rivers, the Buina River and the Lake Hilla River, run through the entire territory of Kaedwen. They are the two most important rivers in Kaedwen. The population and cities are gathered near these two rivers.

It can be said that this is the essence of Kaedwen, and the population and wealth are concentrated along the two rivers.

After controlling these two rivers, it can be said that it is only a matter of time before the rest of the Kaedwen wilderness is controlled. Sooner or later, the villages, towns and tribes in the wilderness will succumb.

Yes, the Lord Protector will swallow Kaedwen whole at once.

Make this largest country in the northern realms part of Aedirn.

Now that Henselt is dead, the bloodline of the Unicorn Dynasty has been cut off, and the elite army has collapsed in front of Herme.

Now this opportunity is really great, Herme will not miss it.

Moreover, the existence of the two rivers allows for convenient shipping, which will be very convenient for transporting supplies and soldiers, which will greatly assist Herme's strategy.

After laying out the strategy, Herme immediately led his army northward, and began to invade Kaedwen.

The journey went smoothly beyond Herme's expectations. Due to Henselt's death, Kaedweni troops and towns all over the country almost surrendered when facing the Aedirn army, and immediately opened the city gates to offer their wealth.

Many conscripts who didn't want to continue the war have changed their minds now, damn it, there's money along the way.

It is true that Henselt's centralization has created his powerful power over the country, but when all power is concentrated on him, when he is dead, the system that has lost its mind will naturally not work.

What's more, not many people are willing to fight for a severed dynasty.

Moreover, due to Henselt's various arbitrary behaviors, as well as a large number of conscripts in the country, a lot of dissatisfaction had accumulated among the people and the nobles, which made Herme's march more smooth.

As for the loyalists of Henselt, Herme's choice is to crush the small ones to death directly, and bypass the big ones and deal with them later.

Now the point is to go to Ard Kalai, control the capital of Kaedwen, and everything will be fine.

There were also people who took the initiative to defect to Hemei, such as Lida, an important town on the Lake Hilla River, who took the initiative to defect to him.

Lida is different from some of the fortresses and towns bypassed by Aedirn. It can be said that if Heme did not take Lida, then he would not be able to go to the capital of Kaedwen.

The reason for the city's rebellion is simple. After Earl Lida died in battle, Henselt not only failed to comfort the earl and the family members of the fallen soldiers, but took the earl's family away. There is not a single penny of pensions.

This aroused strong dissatisfaction in the city, so when the Lord Protector of Aedirn came with his army, they surrendered directly to the Lord Protector.

Lida can be said to be the key to unlocking the road to Ad Calle. It is only a matter of time before the city is captured and Ard Calle is reached.

A lot of things happened here in Lida. The area was once ransacked by Scoia'tael. This incident angered the Kaedwenians and intensified the long-standing conflict between humans and non-human races. One of the causes of the Ad Kale massacre.

Back then, Kaedwen was at the forefront of the race war, and the two sides fought fiercely here. It was not until Nilfgaard was defeated that all this came to an end.

After staying in Lida for a short period of time, Hemei continued to lead the army forward. During this period, Ben Ade expressed his refuge in the Lord Protector.

Ban Ade is a city in Kaedwen, located at the foot of the Blue Mountains. The city's industry is dominated by the mining industry, but the local area is famous for its Ban Ade College.

However, Ban Ader Academy lacks the same control over students as the competing school Arethusa, so that few residents of Ban Ader take pride in this school.

But it still provides the north with a steady stream of highly educated talents, and nobles will also send their children here to study in gold plating, including our Lord Protector, who also came out of this academy.

Heme is very happy about Ban Ader's refuge. Due to the existence of Ban Ader Academy, the city has a detached status in Kaedwen.

Now that the city has fallen to the Lord Protector, it undoubtedly shows the transfer of Kaedwen's power.

More importantly, for the Duke Protector, he no longer has to fight against his alma mater. Although his predecessor was dismissed by Ben Ade College, it still provided him with a lot of important contacts. Of course Herme wanted to To continue to maintain the relationship with this college

The Lord Protector accelerated his pace, and soon, the tall and majestic capital of Kaedwen, Ad Kalai, appeared in front of them.

Ad Carle, this time was also called High Rock City, because the city as a whole was on a tall rock, which looked quite majestic.

There are mostly wooden houses in the city, and only the rich and nobles can live in stone houses.

As the capital of the Kaedwen Kingdom, its defense is naturally the best in the entire north, with tall and majestic walls, standing on high rocks, not to mention how difficult it is to fight.

If the Aedirn army had to attack the city, they might end up starving the city.

The artillery is not very effective in facing the city of High Rock. Even if the city wall can be broken down, the next step is to take those narrow roads to climb to the city, and still have to be in the interlaced firepower network.

But Herme is very confident that he can take this city without bloodshed. Now that the Unicorn Dynasty is gone, why are they still fighting to the death here?

And that's exactly how things went.

When Herme took up position under the walls of Ad Kale, set up the artillery, and then sent people to shout for them to surrender, and it didn't take long before the gates opened.

The nobles and elders in the city walked up to the Lord Protector of Aedian on foot, their faces were full of frustration and loss.

In the presence of the Lord Protector, they handed over the key to the gate of Ade Kalai, representing the departure of the city to the Protector of Aedir.

A large amount of gold, silver and jewels were presented along with it, and flags with various crests were also thrown in front of the Duke Protector, among which the unicorn crest was naturally the most.

Here, Lord Protector of Aedirn felt a little light, because the scene in front of him undoubtedly told him that Kaedwen was defeated by him.

Herme was very excited, but he still tried his best not to show his emotions. As a ruler, it is best not to show his emotions, but the excitement cannot be hidden after all.

Having paid off all that was offered, Heme led his army into Ard Kalai, into the capital of Kaedwen.

Walking on the avenue of Ade Carle, seeing the awe-inspiring gazes from the surrounding houses with their doors and windows closed, the Protector of the Country was quite amazed.

A month ago, he was still fighting the Kaedwen army on the border. A month later, he had conquered Kaedwen and brought this northern country into his rule.

Soon, Herme came to Henselt's palace. Compared with other northern countries, the style of Kaedwen's palace is more rough, and more expensive wood is used for decoration, but there is also meticulousness in the roughness. and beautiful.

Henselt's hall is full of specimens of wild beasts and even monsters, all of which seem to have been hunted by Henselt himself or "hunted" under the protection of the army.

Of course, according to tradition, there are also statues of Kaedwenian monarchs here.

Henselt's is also there, and his statue is the most ostentatious of them, still behind the throne, overlooking the statues of Kaedweni monarchs and visitors.

And now, it all belongs to Herme.

The Lord Protector sat on the ancient oak bench of the Lord Kaedweni, his guards stood beside him, and the Vilams stood at the foot of the steps, forming a line of defense.

Herme looked down, looking at the terrified Kaedweni nobles and elders, he smiled,
"Everyone, please be loyal."

Bishop Oerkan of Wengerburg, who accompanied the army to the north, stood up,
"Under the witness of God Cliff, I will pledge allegiance to His Majesty Baldwin, to Aedirn, and to Lord Protector."

What Olkan held in his hand was an emblem of God Cliff, and his meaning was obvious. In the hall of the Kaedwenian monarchs, they wanted to be loyal to the conqueror.

The Kaedwenians present hesitated for a moment, looking at each other to see if anyone would be the first.

Soon someone stood up and knelt in front of the bishop, expressing to the bishop his loyalty to King Baldwin, to Aedirn, and to the Lord Protector.

With the first one, the next is convenient. People knelt in front of the bishop one after another, offering their loyalty.

The statues of the Kaedwenian monarchs watched this scene silently. Some of them were wise, some were stupid, but they were all the blood of the Unicorn Dynasty, and the statue of Henselt directly looked down on all of this.

And now the scene of Kaedwen's power transfer is being staged in front of them.

However, no matter how ironic this scene is, they are still dead things after all, dead things that cannot move or express anything, and can only be watched here.

And it is estimated that these statues will be removed from this hall in a short time, and their fate in the future is probably to be smashed and set on fire.

If you are lucky, you may go to Ben Ade College to be collected as a cultural relic and then studied by the students.

It took a long time to swear allegiance, and when everything was finally over, Herme looked at the empty hall and the guards around him, and breathed a sigh of relief uncontrollably.

The annexation of Kaedwin was so easy. He originally thought that it would take a long time, and even if it was not done well, there would be repetitions.

However, he did not feel comfortable annexing Kaedweni.

Because he understands that after he takes Kaedwen, he will be targeted by the whole north immediately. Redania, Temeria, and even Kovir will start to target him, or even attack him.

Especially that Philippa, she must be extremely astonished at what she has done now, and she is probably organizing the Anti-Aden Alliance to curb the development of his power.

But Herme didn't have the slightest fear. It had only been eight months since the Nilfgaardians retreated, and no one would rush to start a war except for that idiot who didn't know the importance of Henselt.

After all, the strength of the southern empire is still there, and no one can say whether the southerners will make a comeback again.

In the north and south of Sintra, the border is actually very tense, and the two sides may misfire at any time and become the fuse of the outbreak of war.

Therefore, the northern countries can target themselves with nothing more than some diplomatic and economic means.

But for Herme, the impact these can have is too limited, and it will not affect his integration of Kaedwen at all, nor will it affect his internal reforms.

Now that Kaedwen has been captured and the resources of an entire northern country have been obtained, Herme is more and more confident in doing what she wants to do.

Even if it develops into the worst situation, it doesn't matter, let the world attack from all directions, and I will give them a head-on blow!
(End of this chapter)